The Lost Companions
by CarpeDiemForLife
Summary: After being left by the Doctor, Jenny travels alone throughout the universe. A new piece of technology which she acquires changes all that. Astrid returns to her human body and she finds herself traveling not with the Doctor, but his daughter. Slash
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is a random idea I had for Doctor Who. Please review with your thoughts!_

* * *

"But how do we find you if we need you again?" the desperate man cried. The young woman spun back to face him, her sleek blonde hair whipping around.

"You won't," she replied, a mischievous smile shining from the soft features of her face.

"But how can you know that?" he pleaded, reaching out to the savior of his people.

The woman's cheeky grin faded into a gentler, though firm, expression. Stepping towards the man, she clasped him comradely on the shoulder.

"Because your people have a wonderful leader. My assistance was only something you needed to help you realize that... you never needed me at all. I have faith in you, Aztan. You are a great man, who will lead your people into peaceful and prosperous times."

Clapping the man on the shoulder one last time, the Savior turned away once more, strutting away from the man who was glowing with surprise and modest pride. As the woman stepped onto her space shuttle, Aztan seemed to regain his thoughts.

"But wait! You never even told us your name. What may we call you, when we tell our children and our children's children about your heroic deeds here?" he called out.

The woman paused before turning towards Aztan one last time. She grinned and winked, causing the man to blush furiously.

"Jenny'll do just fine," she replied lightly. With that the shuttle door slid shut and the vehicle lifted off into space with a roar of fire, leaving a legend behind on the planet below.

* * *

Jenny walked away from the control panel, having set the coordinates for her next destination. Pausing, she took a moment to appreciate her space shuttle once more. For some time she had traveled in a small pod, where she had to be strapped in and there was no room to maneuver. Now however, she'd acquired a much more sizable shuttle, and there was a gravity-manipulator installed so she could roam freely during flight.

Making her way across the clanking metal floor in her boots, Jenny crouched down to examine a hunk of machinery which was the most recent addition to her flight equipment. Aztan's people, in thanks for her success in peacefully liberating their colony, had bestowed upon her their most advanced piece of technology. They had called it an atom-redistributor by technical name, and its nickname seemed to be "dust-catcher". Quite frankly, Jenny did not understand its purpose. She had tried to refuse, but their generosity (and stubborn natures) won out, and she accepted it with grace. Now however, she was at somewhat of a loss as to what to do with the machine.

The dust-catcher was at the least a fairly pretty piece of work. The center was a glass bowl with a long, thin neck extending upwards. The glass bowl was encased by a steel structure in the shape of a box, merely for support, but there were rings of orange energy, almost like flames, that circled around the glass bowl in constant motion. Jenny suspected that this was the power source. Inside the glass bowl Jenny could see the slightest tint of what appeared to be small, blue specks, but she couldn't be sure.

Rather than feel discouraged by her lack of understanding of the device, Jenny picked it up with ease and carried it to the side of her ship. One of the native women had installed a hole in the metal casing of the shuttle, guaranteeing that it was protected from oxygen loss. Though Jenny had struggled to understand the woman's speech through her heavy native accent, she had understood one thing: she was to position the dust-catcher so that the thin glass neck extended out of the ship through the hole. Jenny did just this and stood back up, her hands planting themselves on her hips in satisfaction. She watched the bowl for a few moments, but nothing seemed to be happening. Shrugging, Jenny spun away with a smile and made her way to her personal cabin to prepare for her next stop, almost forgetting entirely about the dust-catcher in her eagerness to explore another foreign land.

* * *

Astrid had no thoughts, not really. There wasn't a level of consciousness left in her that was deep enough to permit such a thing. Her only existence was in the string of particles which she had dissolved into, and which retained enough of her human soul to remain connected even as they drifted through space purposelessly. She could vaguely understand the sensation of floating, of flying eternally. There was no happiness, but neither was there sadness. There was simply space. Darkness and light. Stars and moons and planets. Floating, flying. Drifting endlessly, and yet it was peaceful.

Suddenly everything changed. Astrid's essence felt a pull, like that of a magnet, and the particles flew swiftly through the space vacuum. When they met their target, a small bubble of blue light sparked briefly, a beautiful spectacle that no one was present to see.

* * *

Jenny reached up to put her hair back up in its traditional ponytail, now that she'd finished brushing it thoroughly. Just as she twisted the hair band around her hair one more time to hold it securely, a shrill whistle sounded in her ears, emitting from the main control room. Jolting in shock, Jenny quickly ran back out to the room. Her eyes opened wide at the sight before her. The dust-catcher was glowing with impossible light. The glass bowl was no longer clear: there seemed to be a collection of moving, glowing, blue particles whirling madly within it. The orange rings of energy had expanded and brightened, and even the metal box structure seemed to be shining brighter than usual. Despite the painful intensity of light, Jenny's eyes remained transfixed by the machine.

Then suddenly, the collection of energy exploded outwards in a burst of light, and Jenny was forced to turn her head and shield her eyes. As soon as the light faded away, Jenny's head snapped back around and she stared dumbstruck at the sight there.

A woman, about the same age as Jenny appeared to be, stood where the dust-catcher had been previously. More exactly, she stood in the confines of the metal box, shattered glass both under her feet and scattered close by. Her hair was blonde and curled gently about her face, her eyes were a light gray-green, and her plump lips were parted slightly. The innocent expression in her wide eyes and lips immediately appealed to Jenny. However, there was another detail which was distracting Jenny a bit from closer examination of the woman's features- the woman was fully unclothed.

* * *

Astrid was flooded with a barrage of emotions and physical sensations. She stood absolutely still in amazement, her mind taking a moment to process the incredible occurrence. Her memories were hazy. How had she gotten here? What was going on?

Suddenly distinct images came flooding back. A beautiful man, perfect and terrible, brilliant and impossible. His teasing smile, his surprised glances, his kind heart... Then she remembered. She'd died. She remembered it clearly. Dying. For him, for that man. But then how...?

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Astrid's eyes glanced upwards, startled. The woman standing across from her had smooth blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, dark blue eyes, a round attractive face, smooth pale skin, and she was about the same height as Astrid herself. She was dressed in a light green tank-top, tight black pants, and black boots. In her hands was a gun, pointed straight at Astrid's heart.

"I- I- I'm sorry, I don't..." stuttered Astrid. Her words failing her, Astrid began to move her jaw up and down, reveling in the odd feeling of having a physical body once more. Tenderly she reached up and touched her face, afraid that her fingers would pass right through. Instead, they met skin, and Astrid smiled timidly, forgetting about the other woman. Looking down at herself, Astrid suddenly noticed her nudity.

Eyes shooting back up at the woman, Astrid gave a small gasp and heat flooded to her cheeks as she attempted to cover as much of her private areas with her arms as possible. She shifted uncomfortably, glancing around at her surroundings, hoping naively for somewhere to hide herself. No such luck was to be found.

"I asked you a question. How did you get aboard this ship?" demanded the woman once more, jabbing the air with the gun for emphasis.

"P-please don't shoot," pleaded Astrid, "I don't... know how I came to be here. I... well you'll think I'm completely mad if I say..."

"What?" Astrid met the woman's fierce look with one of nervousness.

"Well I... I'm sure that I... I died."

The woman's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she did not react incredulously or aggressively, as Astrid had feared.

"Then... how did you end up here?"

"He saved me I think... my soul. He preserved me in an essence of particles. I've been... Yes I remember it, though it is hazy... I was floating through space. As nothing more than pieces of... well, I'm not really sure I suppose," Astrid murmured in wonder, speaking almost more to herself than the inquirer.

"Oh my god!" Astrid's eyes shot back to the other woman at the loud exclamation.

"You're _bleeding_," the woman continued in horror, "My god I'm so sorry, I hadn't realized... Here, step out of the box and sit down here." Astrid allowed herself to be led to the seat and she obediently sat, now noticing the blood streaming from her feet from the shards of glass.

"Wait just one moment!" the woman cried, rushing off into the ship.

"Um, might you please..." Astrid began to call after her, thinking to ask for a blanket to cover herself with, but she let her voice trail off nervously. In a flash, the woman was back, now with a medical kit.

"Let's see... I've got bandages, lotions- no, there's the better one, the..." the woman muttered to herself as she grabbed the necessary items from the kit. Quickly she turned her attention to Astrid's feet. Her concentration completely focused, she picked out the few pieces of glass lodged there and then continued to work towards treating and wrapping the wounds.

"Excuse me but, may I ask, what is your name?" inquired Astrid cautiously. The woman smiled kindly.

"Jenny. Yours?"

"Astrid."

"Well that's lovely," complimented Jenny brightly. Astrid gave a small laugh, mostly to relieve her tensions.

"So... you aren't healing me simply to shoot me later, are you?" Astrid asked teasingly; but Jenny wasn't fooled. She could hear the sincere tremor in Astrid's voice. Jenny made an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry about that. A girl's got to learn how to protect herself when she travels alone. That gun isn't even loaded, to be honest. I don't approve of violence except when absolutely necessary."

Astrid gave a big smile and let out a sigh of relief. Glancing up at the frightened young woman, Jenny found her expression immensely endearing and she let out a bright laugh. Astrid met Jenny's eyes briefly, and turned her head away blushing as she saw the twinkle of amusement there.

The two women stayed silent as Jenny finished her work wrapping Astrid's feet with bandages. When she'd finished, Jenny stood back up and observed her patient.

"I suppose you might like some clothes now," she stated bluntly. Astrid blushed once more-a rather common occurrence as Jenny was for some reason delighted to see-and nodded quickly. Jenny constrained her amusement to a smile and she jogged off once again into the rest of the shuttle. She returned quickly with a pair of skinny blue jeans, a plain blue t-shirt, socks, and sneakers. Handing them to Astrid, Jenny was confused to see that Astrid looked shy, uncomfortable even with the clothes in her hands.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Astrid shook her head and smiled.

"Nothing, this is wonderful, thank you," she said gratefully, "Where shall I...?" Jenny peered at her confusedly for a moment, before realizing her meaning.

"Oh! Yes, sure, I'll just... leave you here for a minute and you can get dressed."

Jenny strutted out of the main control room, waiting impatiently just around the corner. She understood Astrid's want for privacy, but at the same time, she wanted to stay near Astrid every minute. This was what she loved about space travel: seeing new places, learning new things, meeting new people. This Astrid girl was certainly an anomaly, and Jenny couldn't have been more fascinated by her. After a few minutes, Jenny heard a timid voice call out,

"Well I'm... decent now."

Jenny strolled back into the room, grinning. Astrid returned the grin with a hesitant smile of her own even as she shifted her body in discomfort.

"What's wrong?" asked Jenny again, "Is there something wrong with the clothes? You can tell me the truth, I don't mind."

"No! Not at all, it's very kind of you to lend me clothes at all, I'm simply unused to wearing men's clothes."

"Oh I see... you come from a traditional planet. You're used to wearing dresses," Jenny realized aloud. Astrid nodded, subconsciously tugging at the bottom of her shirt.

"But these are lovely!" she assured quickly. Jenny chuckled at the woman's determined politeness. It was really rather sweet.

"I'm afraid I only dress this way," explained Jenny guiltily, "So I'm afraid you'll be stuck with those. Once we dock, we'll find you some new outfits though, how about that?"

"That would be lovely, thank you. But please, you must tell me, where are we going? And why are you alone?"

"At the moment we are on a course set for the planet Turhsia. I hear it's lovely there, in a dry, desert-y sort of way. Might as well give it a try, you know?"

Astrid was taken aback by the sheer joy in Jenny's voice. This woman clearly lived to travel. In fact, Jenny's passion reminded her very much of that man... that man who had promised to take her traveling with him. She'd wanted that so very much. Astrid had always dreamed of traversing among the stars, seeing the different planets, but it had always seemed so impossible. She'd thought her dreams were coming true when the man had entered her life, but she had been cruelly disappointed. She wasn't bitter of course, only sad, regretful. But perhaps now her time had finally come. Just that thought alone brought a flood of warmth and excitement tingling through her veins and brightened her spirit.

"Astrid?" Astrid snapped out of her reveries, glancing up at the concerned voice. For a split second, what she saw there was not the woman Jenny... but the Doctor instead. His eyes, peering at her with care and concern. Blinking quickly, Astrid refocused and her vision of the Doctor disappeared, leaving reality in its place; it did amaze Astrid however how much Jenny's eyes did in fact remind her of the Doctor's.

"Astrid, what's wrong, are you in pain?"

"What?" Astrid blinked again, suddenly aware that her eyes were brimming with tears. Chuckling at her own stupidity, Astrid reached up to brush the tears away.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. I was just... remembering something. Well... someone. There was a man once, before I... died. He promised to take me out to travel the universe with him, and I was never happier. But I died before we had the chance to go anywhere. Your enthusiasm reminded me of him. And then... for some reason your eyes are... so reminiscent of him. Or perhaps I'm merely projecting him onto you because he is the last, and most important, figure in my memories."

Jenny absorbed this speech in silence, her suspicions forming quickly. When Astrid fell quiet once more, Jenny voiced her thoughts.

"This man... what name did he go by? It wouldn't be the Doctor, would it?"

Astrid gasped and locked eyes intently with Jenny, taking several steps closer to her in amazement.

"You know the Doctor?"

Jenny smiled sadly, her own memories creeping back into her thoughts. Though the Doctor was her inspiration and role model, she usually avoided thinking too much on him because she, like Astrid, felt cheated out of the opportunity to travel with him as she had been meant to. Traveling on her own was incredible, for sure, but she'd looked forward to traveling with the Doctor and Donna as company.

"Yes. I suppose you could say... he's my father." Astrid gasped again, her hand flying up to cover her mouth in shock.

"But he looks so young! Oh... yes I do remember... he said once that he was actually hundreds of years old... You are truly his daughter?"

"Well... in a way. More specifically, I'm his clone." Now Astrid's brow crinkled confusedly. "You see... the Doctor landed on a planet in the middle of a war. Their way of producing soldiers for the war was to take DNA samples of each living person, rearrange the DNA slightly, and create new, fully-grown human beings. How old would you say I am?"

"Well I... about my age perhaps? A few years younger, in your early twenties?" guessed Astrid.

"I celebrated my fourth birthday about a month ago," replied Jenny, nodding in response to Astrid's newfound look of amazement. "So you see... the Doctor is my father. But I, like you, died before I could travel with him. He left. Little did he know that I would partially regenerate when he left. So now I travel alone. It's the traveling that I love, but I'm also still searching for my father. To reunite with him would be... wonderful. I miss him."

"I understand. I suppose I... miss him as well." The women shared a sad, knowing smile. Astrid broke the silence.

"I'm sorry but... you said... regenerate? I'm afraid I don't know what you meant by that. How did you return from the dead?"

"Oh yes of course, I'm sorry. I don't know if my father explained this to you, but he's not human. He's a Time Lord. And Time Lords, well, they have a way of cheating death. When they are dying, they regenerate, which basically means that their bodies completely heal themselves. The catch is that when they do so, they are left with a completely new body. New face, new everything. They'll look like a completely different person, and in some ways, they'll be one as well. Now... when I died, my father's Time Lord DNA kicked in and healed me, but I didn't quite regenerate because my body never changed. Does that... make any sense to you? I'm sorry if I'm horrible at explaining things," Jenny laughed at herself. Astrid smiled kindly.

"Not at all, I... believe I understood. That's truly quite amazing."

"What I find amazing is _your_ rebirth," breathed Jenny excitedly, her eyes scanning Astrid's body interestedly. "At the last planet I visited, they gave me a device called an atom-redistributor. I didn't think it actually worked for anything, but it must have picked up the particles of your essence and reassembled them. Though I wonder why it broke... doesn't seem very well-built..."

"I apologize! I did not mean to break it," exclaimed Astrid in concern. Jenny released a bright laugh, growing increasingly more fond of the innocent, nervous young woman with every passing moment. Astrid felt her heartbeat pick up at the sound of Jenny's mirth and she smiled shyly.

"Don't worry about it," Jenny assured, "You are much more fun to have than some piece of technology that I can't even begin to understand. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Thank you," was Astrid's simple, genuine response. Grinning, Jenny extended her hand to her new passenger. Astrid looked down at the hand in surprise, but as soon as she processed Jenny's intent, she placed her own hand in Jenny's confidently, grasping firmly. Jenny was surprised by this evidently less shy side of Astrid, and she realized that this woman would only continue to surprise her. A thrill of excitement rushed through her at this promising prospect.

"Come on, let's set up a room for you. You'll be needing somewhere to sleep. Luckily, I've got just the spot."


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Please leave reviews with your thoughts. Also, just to let you know, this story will feature other Doctor Who characters at some point, so keep an eye out!_

* * *

Astrid woke the next morning in her new cabin. It was a bit cramped, but surprisingly well furnished considering Jenny traveled alone. It had a bed and a dresser, the only two things Astrid truly needed.

Not being much of a morning person, Astrid rose from her bed slowly, changed numbly into the clothes Jenny had set out for her, and made her way out of the cabin and towards the main control room where she found Jenny already up and seated. Jenny smiled brightly as Astrid covered her mouth for a yawn and seated herself next to the other woman.

"How long ago did you wake up?" she inquired, her voice heavy with drowsiness.

"Only a few minutes," was the reply, "but I'm a morning person so I'm perfectly awake, though I imagine the same couldn't be said for you." Astrid chuckled a bit.

"No, I reckon it couldn't. I've never been much of a morning person I suppose."

"In regards to myself, I attribute it to the fact that I was born and bred for a military purpose. Can't have soldiers who are slow to respond, no matter what the time of day."

"You say you were born to fight, so how is it that you now dislike violence so much?" asked Astrid curiously.

"I have the Doctor and Donna to thank for that," said Jenny quietly, "At first the Doctor disliked me because of my nature, but Donna convinced him to give me a chance. They taught me the importance of peace, they taught me that its wrong to kill. It was hard to accept at first, but I saw the good in them, and the good they created in the world simply by seeking peaceful ends to violent troubles... and I vowed never to lead a military life."

"That's very touching. I truly respect you for that." Jenny smiled her thanks.

"But that's enough about me!" she exclaimed devilishly, "Tell me about you, Astrid."

"Well there... there isn't much to tell. I'm a fairly simple girl," Astrid shyly confessed.

"Nonsense!" Jenny exclaimed with a scolding grin, "My father would never have traveled with anyone he considered to be simple. You must be very special indeed."

Astrid blushed in embarrassment and looked down modestly at her hands.

"Tell me the story of your encounter with the Doctor."

Obligingly, Astrid explained the details of the 2nd Titanic, from her first odd meeting with the kind man called the Doctor, to the last moment where she sacrificed herself to save him and the Earth, and then finally when the Doctor attempted to bring her back but only succeeded in turning her into the particles. Jenny listened to the tale in deep fascination, eager to learn more of both her father and her new companion. When the story was complete, the women sat together in a momentary silence. Before either had the chance to speak again, a robotic female voice echoed loudly throughout the control room.

"Shuttle landing on Turhsia in five minutes. Please prepare for departure."

Astrid gave a start at the sound of the voice.

"I hadn't realized that your ship has an automated system of that sort," she commented as Jenny tinkered with a few of the controls to land the spacecraft.

"Oh yes! The sad part is that according to the previous owner of the shuttle, the mechanized voice used to be a sentient being which lived within the computer systems on the ship, but a crash some years ago somehow eliminated its sentience and left it as no more than a regular automated voice system. I've been trying to discover how to fix her, but I've had no luck."

"That's so sad," Astrid murmured sincerely, thinking how awful it must be to have such a thing happen. In a way, that was just what had happened to _her_. And now that she'd gotten her consciousness back, she couldn't bear the thought of not having it. She felt terrible for the computer life-form.

Seeing the daze in Astrid's sad eyes, Jenny forced herself to put on a bright smile. Reaching out, she squeezed Astrid's hand, regaining her attention.

"Would you like to visit an alien planet?" she asked quietly, her tone bright with gleeful anticipation. Astrid smiled, choosing to focus on this wonderful new experience rather than the sad computer.

"More than anything."

* * *

"Woo! Feel that _wind_!" Jenny cried over the loud rushing sound of the air, flinging her arms out enthusiastically so that the air currents swept over her.

"What?" Astrid cried back, stepping closer even as she attempted to squint and stoop over to protect herself from the very same wind that Jenny was excited about.

"The _wind_ is _wonderful_!" yelled Jenny exuberantly. Astrid heard her this time and she giggled appreciatively.

"Well I'm not sure how wonderful it will be when it blows the sand up into your eyes," teased Astrid, still projecting loudly over the incredible gales. Jenny merely laughed brightly, making Astrid chuckle in return. Astrid was quickly learning that Jenny loved to laugh, and her laugh was so loud and full of honest joy that Astrid could never resist a smile in response.

"Come on, it looks like there's a city just over that dune," Jenny exclaimed, pointing. Grabbing hands, the women rushed off across the sand, squinting their eyes against the wind as they made their way towards civilization.

* * *

Astrid glanced around herself in amazement, witnessing for the first time-apart from her brief trip Earth-side-a new planet with inhabitants she'd never seen before. The restaurant/bar in which she and Jenny were seated was filled primarily with a sort of reptilian species- they had leathery gray skin, large bug eyes deep-set in their forehead, a skeletal appearance, and claws rather than fingers. There was also one party present that consisted of a few humans and cyborgs.

"Good thing you weren't wearing a dress on this planet, don't you think?" pointed out Jenny teasingly. Astrid blushed and smoothed out the lavender t-shirt which she was currently wearing.

"Thuus trubl westin als me sucarta?" Astrid's head shot up towards the waiter, her pulse pounding. This creature was apparently speaking in his native tongue, which Astrid of course did not recognize. How was she to respond?

Astrid glanced worriedly over at Jenny, only to find Jenny staring expectantly back at her, waiting for her to speak. Astrid's mouth dropped open only to allow a nervous squeak to emerge. Clearing her throat, she ignored her furiously beating heart and turned to Jenny.

"What did he say?" she whispered embarrassedly. Jenny was startled momentarily, before letting out another of her enthusiastic laughs. Turning to the waiter, Jenny briefly spoke fluently in his tongue-at which point Astrid's eyes widened substantially-before pulling something out of her pocket and sliding it across the table to Astrid.

"Go ahead, put it on. It's just like a watch. I've already programmed it for the native language here."

"What do you mean?" asked Astrid, even as she followed Jenny's instructions.

"I meant to give it to you before we left the shuttle, but I forgot about it in my eagerness to get out onto the planet's surface," said Jenny sheepishly, "It's a language translator. It sends pulse signals to your brain to help you understand foreign languages. It's not perfect and it'll take some getting used to, but it's amazingly useful. Alright, it's on? I'm going to ask the waiter to repeat his question, so you can practice."

As she'd indicated, Jenny turned back to the waiter and spoke again in his native tongue. As Jenny did so, Astrid was surprised to feel a slight warmth spread from the translator and up her arm. She shivered but giggled at the tingling sensation. Turning her attention back to the waiter, she focused intently on his words, struggling to decipher them. She ended up hearing something akin to:

"Thuus trubl wes-two ladies today?" The smooth switch was so subtle that it almost went unnoticed by Astrid. When she realized that she'd begun to hear English however, Astrid beamed and bounced up and down in her seat a bit out of excitement. Jenny grinned at her behavior, silently admiring her new companion's pure, sweet spirit.

"I understood the last bit," Astrid explained happily. "He finished with 'two ladies today'."

"That's really good!" complimented Jenny sincerely, "You're catching on quick. He asked what he can get us. Now, I've heard about a drink served specially on this planet, called Rubbastin, that I think I'll be getting for myself. You should too! Apparently it's a sweet, fruity drink made from the Rubba berries that grow here. They can't be found anywhere else in the universe. Exciting, isn't it?"

"That sounds excellent," agreed Astrid. The two women ordered their drinks and continued to chat as they waited for their orders to arrive.

* * *

Astrid and Jenny stumbled back onto the space shuttle together, the former being held up and carried along by the latter. Astrid was giggling uncontrollably, and it was all Jenny could manage to half-carry her into her cabin. The Rubbastin had been just as wonderful as they'd hoped, and they'd both had a couple glasses. And as it would seem, Astrid, evidently, was a lightweight.

"That was the most fun I have ever had!" crooned Astrid as Jenny guided her towards her bed where she then quickly collapsed.

"I'm glad to hear it, but you need to get some rest now," replied Jenny, struggling to remain serious despite her friend's intoxication.

"Ok... ok..." mumbled Astrid, already drifting off. Soon she was fast asleep, snoring lightly. Jenny smiled fondly and tucked the young woman in, brushing her ruffled blonde hair out of her face. With a yank of a chain, the lights went off, and Jenny gently closed the door behind her.

* * *

Astrid slowly regained consciousness, her head buzzing as she struggled to sit erect. When she accomplished this endeavor, she stumbled to her feet, knocking against the dresser. Her gaze turned dumbly towards the offending object which had obstructed her path and she saw a glass of water, a blue pill, and a note resting atop the wooden furniture. Her hands extended weakly and she grabbed the pill and water, quickly downing the small capsule.

A rush of energy raced through her, like freezing ice soaring through her veins, searing her insides. Astrid cried out at the unexpected feeling and stood perfectly still until the burning cold had vanished. Shaking her head clear, Astrid realized that her hangover was gone. Her headache had disappeared, and her thoughts were as clear and coherent as usual. Amazed, Astrid picked up the note and read it.

_Astrid,_

_Go ahead and take the blue pill. In all my travels I've found it to be the best cure for a bad headache in the morning. Be careful though, it stings, a lot. You'll feel frighteningly cold, but it'll pass quickly I promise._

Astrid snorted quietly at the belated warning.

_As for me, the computer picked up local electromagnetic signals, the native radio station, if you will. The point is, I heard news of a home on the outskirts of town which was blown to the ground because of the strong winds yesterday. Apparently a huge family (by our standards, not theirs) of twenty-some Krinkites _[the local species]_ lived there, and not all have been recovered from the wreckage. I'm going to offer my services, and do my best to rescue the rest of them, and salvage as much of their home as possible._

_The winds are reported to be potentially as strong today as they were yesterday, so being near large buildings-even those which have already partially collapsed-is very risky. Just stay in the shuttle, and I'll return later tonight._

_Jenny_

Astrid finished reading the note, growing concerned towards the end for her companion's welfare. If it was too dangerous for Astrid to be out and about, the same ought to apply to Jenny, oughtn't it?

Her mind already set, Astrid dropped the note and raced out of the shuttle, running across the sand towards the restaurant which they had visited the night before.

When she arrived there, Astrid quickly inquired into the location of the collapsed home and a waiter pointed her in the right direction. Astrid walked speedily across the dunes, up and down up and down, until she finally came to the crest of a hill from where she could see the house for herself.

The house was gigantic, and it was in shambles. Numerous figures were milling around the ruined building, going in and out to dig under piles and piles of rubble. Squinting, Astrid found it easy to spot Jenny. She was the only human being there. Among the rest of the gray reptilian creatures, the tan girl of flesh stuck out like a sore thumb. Rushing down the hill, Astrid reached Jenny before Jenny had even noticed her presence. She waited patiently while the pacifist military commander directed orders at a few of the locals. Astrid was amazed at the respect which clearly Jenny had already earned for herself, seeing as all of the Krinkites nodded and rushed off to follow her commands.

When Jenny turned around, she spotted Astrid standing there with a firm expression on her face, a much more determined look than the timid one which she normally wore.

Instead of scolding her companion, Jenny grinned and loped an arm around her shoulders, chuckling at Astrid's obvious surprise.

"I had a feeling you'd come anyway, and I'm glad you did. We need all the help we can get."

"You're not... angry that I ignored your orders?" asked Astrid confusedly. Jenny shrugged good-naturedly.

"If the Doctor was willing to take you on, chances are you've got a mind of your own. He doesn't seem to pick companions who will just shut up and listen to him. I think he got frustrated with it sometimes, but I actually prefer it that way. It's good to know that you've got a pure brave heart. I would have done exactly the same thing in your position. Now come on, help me shift these broken boards."

* * *

Helping in the rescue effort was exhilarating for Astrid. Other than her journey aboard the Titanic with the Doctor, her life had been rather commonplace and unsatisfactory. But being here amongst such a dedicated, caring community made Astrid feel like she was finally doing something right. She felt as though she were making a difference in the world, however slight it may be.

Over the course of the day, Astrid's esteem of Jenny only rose higher. The ease with which Jenny was able to take control amazed her, and she made a natural leader. The Krinkites followed her leadership happily because she treated them with firm respect and she clearly knew what she was doing.

_Is this always how it is for her when she travels?_ Astrid wondered. _Is there always going to be trouble around?_

For some reason, that thought didn't worry Astrid because she had a feeling that Jenny knew how to cope, and she somehow knew that if she were also to be given a chance, she could accomplish great things. This spark of confidence in herself contradicted her usual lack of self-confidence, and she found herself much happier for it. Emboldened by the idea of her potential greatness, Astrid continued to work fervently to clear away debris and search for missing Krinkites, as directed by Jenny.

* * *

Towards the end of the day, the winds had begun to pick up as predicted. Astrid brushed dust off her hands as she completed her most recent assignment. Squinting, Astrid stumbled off towards where she thought Jenny to be. Luckily, her sense of direction was accurate.

"Has the entire family been accounted for?" shouted Jenny over the wind, speaking to two of the Krinkites. The two shared a glance.

"There is still one child missing," reported one.

"But the entire building has been searched," added the other.

"We won't abandon the effort, not until that last child is found. Have you spoken to the family? Do they have any idea if he might have slipped away somewhere before the storm or during it?"

The two Krinkites shook their heads. Jenny felt her spirits sinking. They'd managed to save over a half dozen trapped members of the family, but she would never forgive herself if they could not save the last child.

"Keep looking," was her order after a thoughtful moment of silence. The two Krinkites shared a look, but they walked off to do as she said. Jenny's hands wiped the sweat off her forehead and massaged her temples even as she paced nervously back and forth.

Silently, Astrid stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Jenny's arm. Jenny looked up dully, and it pained Astrid to see the depths of sadness in her eyes. Astrid leaned in close so that her mouth was right beside Jenny's ear, in order to be heard over the gales.

"We'll find him. You have done such wonderful work today Jenny. The way you stepped in to take care of strangers, never questioning for a moment whether you should risk yourself for them- you are a hero. And you have the truest heart. Do not give up hope yet. The Krinkites need to see that you are still confident. They believe in you. So do I."

Astrid drew back and locked eyes meaningfully with Jenny, smiling softly. Slowly the worry faded from Jenny's dark blue eyes and Astrid smiled even brighter to see a familiar light returning to her friend's features. That was her look of determination.

The wind was too strong for conversation, but Astrid could read the thanks in Jenny's smile. Jenny nodded firmly and turned towards the ruined house. Glancing back at Astrid one last time, Jenny bent against the wind and began to tread carefully towards the debris, filled with a fierce resolve to find the missing child at any cost.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note:_ _Please review! I'd love to know what you think. Thanks to everyone who has favorited this story or reviewed already._

* * *

Astrid crossed her arms, keeping her head tucked down as she walked slowly through the wind, every step a challenge. Her eyes focused on the ground, Astrid stopped suddenly. She wasn't positive, but she felt as if she'd noticed something, something out of the corner of her eye. Taking a few steps backwards, Astrid let her eyes scan the sandy ground in front of her.

There it was. It was so slight that Astrid wasn't entirely sure if she was seeing things, but there, only a few feet away, the ground seemed to be pulsing upwards, the sand shifting as if something was impacting the ground from below. In fact, it looked as if that particular square of surface was a trap door, beneath which was someone pounding to get out.

Astrid whirled around, thinking to yell for Jenny or one of the Krinkite men. Through the raging winds, she could see none of them. She stood still, unsure what to do. If she walked back the way she'd come to seek help, she doubted that she'd be able to find her way back to the correct spot.

There was no option then. She had to try to handle it on her own.

Crouching down on the ground, Astrid brushed her hands over the area which was pulsing, brushing the top level of sand away. After a moment she found something. It was a handle, a metal handle. Astrid's instinct had been right, this was definitely some sort of trapdoor.

_Please be the missing Krinkite boy_, she prayed silently for a moment, grabbing the handle. Yanking upwards with all her might, Astrid's hands slipped and she fell backwards onto her bottom.

Rubbing her aching behind, she got up and positioned herself again, gaining a firmer grip on the iron. Gritting her teeth, she heaved upwards. At first the trap door seemed unrelenting, but then she heard it: the first creak. Encouraged, Astrid put a new surge of strength into her pull.

With a slow moan, the door broke free of the smooth ground and swung upwards. Despite her best efforts however, Astrid could not get the door up high enough for it to fall open. It took all her strength merely to keep the door up in the air, and her arms were starting to strain from the burden.

"Uh, h- hello?" she called out. The space under the trapdoor was pitch black. "Is someone down there?"

Astrid could distinguish no words, but there was a sound coming from below, she was certain of it.

"Can you come out?" she called nervously, her arms beginning to fail her. Again, there was the muffled sound of speech, but no words. And no one coming up.

Seeing nothing else to do, Astrid ignored her thumping heart and stepped closer to the opening in the ground. Exhaling slowly, she jumped in.

The door above slammed shut and the whirling wind could still be heard from down below. Everything was still pitch black.

"Hello?"

"Please help me." The voice was a child's, and Astrid was immediately convinced that she'd found the lost boy.

"Where are you?"

"Here." Astrid reached out towards the voice and her hand met the cold skeletal shoulder of the young boy.

"Well hello," she said, attempting to be positive. "Why couldn't you get out?"

"I'm... I'm not big enough," replied the boy in a small voice, "I could only hit the surface by jumping. But I'm not tall enough to open it myself or to climb out."

"I see... Well, let me try." Astrid reached her arms up and she felt the wood above her. She wasn't quite tall enough for the reach to be easy, but she disregarded that. Getting on her tiptoes, Astrid pushed upward with all her might; but it was not enough. The door popped open for but a second before slamming back shut. She was not tall enough to push it up any higher. Astrid was beginning to worry now.

"Well, if I hoisted you on my shoulders, do you think you'd have the strength to push the trapdoor up?" she asked.

"I... I can... I can try," was the stuttered response.

"Alright, we'll do that then. I'm sure you can do it!" said Astrid confidently. She hoped that her positive attitude would encourage the young Krinkite because in truth, she was terrified. What if the boy _couldn't_ heft it on his own?

Inhaling deeply, Astrid forced herself to remain calm. Panicking never helped anyone, and, after all, this wasn't the first time she'd faced the possibility of death. In fact, once upon a time she'd sacrificed her life for a man she barely knew. She'd shown no fear then, and she would show none now.

Crouching down, Astrid waved her hand blindly.

"Hop on!"

Astrid braced herself as a heavy weight settled itself on her shoulders. With a great struggle, she unbent her knees and stumbled to her feet, trying to keep from toppling over.

"Ok, go ahead, give it a try," she said encouragingly through difficult breaths. Astrid felt the boy's muscles tense up and she prayed with all her might.

Suddenly there was a creak. Astrid could hear the raging wind again, painfully loud. The boy must have been able to open the trapdoor some. Almost laughing from sheer relief, Astrid called out,

"You can do it! Push the door the rest of the way, I believe in you!"

The Krinkite boy grunted and put all his strength into the effort. Finally, with a loud bang and a shout from the boy, the door slammed open. Astrid restrained the urge to cheer. The crisis hadn't been averted entirely yet.

"Can you pull yourself up and onto the ground?" she asked.

"I think so!" the boy shouted back down to her.

Astrid held her ground as the boy shifted on top of her. Then, miraculously, his weight was gone.

"I made it! I'm aboveground!" came his excited cry from above. "Here, grab my claw!"

Astrid peered upwards. The light from the outside now made it possible for her to see again, and so she grabbed at the offered claw. The boy's claws wrapped around her wrist and he heaved upward, straining with all his might. Astrid clutched as tightly as possible to his leathery skin as she felt herself lift off the ground.

But she only made it up a few inches before landing heavily back on the ground.

"Are you ok?" she called up worriedly.

"I... I'm ok," he called back, "But I... I can't do it, I'm not strong enough."

Astrid's heart began thumping much too quickly, his words sending a shock of terror through her heart. She'd tried to be brave, but the truth was... she wasn't sure if she could handle facing her imminent death... again. Astrid felt that she should say something comforting to the boy, who clearly felt bad, but her mouth was dry as ash and her mind blank.

"D-don't worry!" the boy cried, the wind screaming on top of his words. "I'll... I'll get help. You'll be ok! Don't worry. I'll be back, I promise! I'll close the trapdoor so the sand doesn't choke you."

The wind suddenly ceased to roar above Astrid, evidence that the young Krinkite was gone. Astrid slumped to the ground, coughing. She wrapped her arms around her legs and tried to stay positive. This storm couldn't last forever, and when it _was_ over, well... the boy would bring help, just like he said he would.

These thoughts helped to calm Astrid. After all, she was a believer in the inherent goodness of people-or Krinkites, in this case-and she had no doubt that the boy would keep true to his word. So then, as long as the storm ended quickly, Astrid would be fine. In fact, it was possible that she would be discovered even _before_ the storm ended. Astrid hoped silently that the boy had a better sense of direction in a blinding storm than she did.

Three hours later, Astrid was beginning to doubt that he did. Clearly she would not be rescued as long as the winds continued to rage as wildly as they were. Smacking her dry lips together, Astrid leaned up against the wall of the shelter and let her eyes drift closed.

Astrid's eyes flickered open. Hours must have gone by, but her situation was unchanged. She was still trapped underground in dark hole with nothing but the muted sound of rushing air above her. And now, she was beginning to feel stomach pains, due to the lack of food and water. More than anything, she wished she had something to eat. Astrid stared dully into the blackness for what felt like several more hours before her lids closed once again, and she fell asleep.

The next time she awoke, the pain was worse, and there was additional pain from the sitting position that she had now fallen asleep in twice.

"Three days..." she muttered aloud, over and over again. The sound was oddly comforting in the silent darkness, so those two words became her personal mantra, repeated over and over.

Three days. A person can survive for three days in the desert without food or water. As long as the winds died down before three days ran out, Astrid would be totally and completely fine. Three days. It had been three days now that Astrid had known Jenny. Jenny, the most fascinating, wonderful, stunning person that Astrid had ever met, bar none. Three days... Three days...

* * *

"Miss Jenny! Jenny, we've got him!"

Jenny spun around sharply, a hesitant and amazed smile beginning to curl the corners of her mouth. Rushing toward her were two Krinkite adults tailed by a child. After a moment, the three Krinkites reached the leader of the excavation crew.

"This is the boy?" she asked excitedly, grinning down at the young one. One of the men nodded, smiling right back at her.

"We just got a hold of him. He came walking from that direction." The Krinkite gestured behind him.

Suddenly, the boy rushed forward and grabbed at Jenny's arms. Jenny was startled by the frantic look in his eyes.

"There's someone trapped back there!" he exclaimed. Jenny's head snapped up to look at the men in shock, but they were clearly just as confused as she. Jenny turned back to the boy.

"The rest of your family has all been accounted for, don't worry. Everything's going to be ok now."

"No, not my family!" Jenny peered confusedly at the boy. "One of _you_!"

"One of me? What do you-" Understanding finally dawned on Jenny. Her eyes widening with fear, Jenny glanced frantically all around her.

"Astrid!" she screamed loudly. The wind seemed to sweep away her cry. "Astrid!"

"She's underground," explained the boy nervously, "That's where I was. I was in a shelter underground but I couldn't lift the trapdoor to get out. She got me out but she got stuck down there. I wasn't... I wasn't strong enough to... to save her..."

Jenny could tell that the boy was on the verge of breaking down into tears. Steeling herself, Jenny forced herself to breathe. She needed to treat the boy delicately, but finding Astrid was clearly a top priority.

Kneeling down to his level, Jenny looked the boy in the eyes.

"You did all that you could. I'm very proud of you for that. But now, the best way for you to help, is to lead us back to the trapdoor. Can you do that?"

The boy nodded quickly and Jenny smiled at him, clapping him proudly on the shoulder.

"Alright then. Off we go. Come on boys!"

Obediently, the two men followed behind Jenny and the boy as the boy set a course off into the dusty oblivion.

Hours later, their search had come to nothing. Each patch of sand looked just the same as any other. Occasionally the boy would pause and pound the ground, checking for the hollow shelter, but he was never successful.

Jenny felt like tearing her hair out in frustration, but she could not allow herself to lose her dignity that way. Still, it was difficult to resist the urge to fling herself onto the ground and thrash about angrily. In fact, she was feeling the unhealthy desire to shoot something. This in and of itself was concerning to Jenny. She hadn't felt violent tendencies like that since her first few days of life. But now, she was so frightened by the turn of events that somehow the old feelings were beginning to resurface.

"Miss Jenny?" Jenny turned to face the Krinkite addressing her.

"Yes, Taban?" Taban glanced uncomfortably at his companion.

"We feel that it is best to... to end our search until the storm passes. Once-"

"No," Jenny cut him off forcefully. "I'm not giving up until I've found my friend. But... I understand if you can't stay. I'll continue the search on my own. Thank you for your assistance so far, you've been a great help today."

The two men looked guilty but grabbed the boy and started to leave.

"No!" the boy cried, wrenching from the hold of the two shocked adults. "She saved me. I want to find her."

At this declaration, Jenny's heart warmed again. Such purity and bravery in such a young person made her feel a glimmer of hope. Still, she knew that she had to do what was right.

"You've been through enough today," Jenny said to the boy quietly. "Your efforts have been so very brave, but you need to go rest and get food and water. You'll be no help at all if you collapse in the desert due to dehydration. Don't worry, we'll save her. But you need to rest."

The boy looked solemn but nodded his consent.

"So do you, Miss Jenny." Jenny looked up in surprise at Taban.

"What?"

"You have to rest and get water. Otherwise you'll collapse out here and there will be two of you for us to rescue. You need to come back to the camp with us and recuperate. Wait the storm out. It'll be over soon, and your girl will be ok. Come on."

"No," refused Jenny, shaking her head. Despite the sense in his words, she refused to abandon her friend. It was her fault in the first place that Astrid was even in this mess. Jenny turned away from the Krinkites.

"Well then, I'm sorry for this Miss Jenny."

Jenny began to turn back around to ask what on earth Taban meant, when everything suddenly went dark.


End file.
